AIR AND ON-LINE AT CLICK2HOUSTON.COM. ONLY ON 2, WITH THOUSANDS WAITING FOR A TRANSPLANT AND OTHERS PLANNING TO DONATE THE GIFT OF LIFE AFTER THEY PASS, THIS NEXT STORY IS TROUBLING. METHODIST HOSPITAL IS TAKING HEAT FOR ALLOWING A TRANSPLANTABLE DONOR HEART GO TO WASTE. AN ORGAN THAT MAY HAVE SAVED A LIFE DISCARDED. "LOCAL 2"'S IRIKA SARGENT HAS THIS STORY THAT YOU'LL SEE ONLY ON 2. Reporter: HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL HAS NOW BEEN PLACED ON PROBATION. IT ALL STEMS FROM A RECENT TRANSPLANT CASE WHERE A HEALTHY DONOR HEART BROUGHT HERE TO THE HOSPITAL ENDED UP BEING DISCARDED. WELL-KNOWN FOR CARDIAC CARE, HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL IS FACING A NEW CHALLENGE, ONE THAT'S PUT A BLEMISH ON THEIR HEART TRANSPLANT PROGRAM. WE DECIDED THAT LOSING AN ORGAN IS UNACCEPTABLE. WE'RE GOING TO FIX IT. Reporter: THE ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK BOARD OF DIRECTORS PUT METHODIST ON PROBATION FOR THE WAY IT HANDLED A RECENT CASE. IN ITS REPORT, THE BOARD SAYS METHODIST RECOVERED A DONOR HEART, KNOWING ITS USE WAS UNLIKELY FOR THE INTENDED TRANSPLANT CANDIDATE. THE HEART WAS EVENTUALLY DISCARDED WITHOUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE USED FOR A DIFFERENT CANDIDATE. METHODIST SAYS TIME DELAYS AND COMMUNICATION ISSUES BETWEEN THEIR TEAMS AND OTHER HOSPITALS CAUSED PROBLEMS. THE COMMUNICATION ISSUE THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM REALLY FOCUSED ON THE MULTIPLE DELAYS THAT HAPPENED IN OPERATING ROOM TIME. Reporter: THEY'RE TELLING METHODIST TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO GET OFF THE PROBATION LIST. WE TRAINED PERSONNEL. WE CHANGED PROCESS. WE FIGURED OUT DIFFERENT WAYS OF COMMUNICATION. WE ALIGNED ORGANS AND TRANSPLANT AND TEAMS SEPARATELY. Reporter: AMANDA DeJESUS KNOWS HOW LIFE SAVING ORGAN DONATIONS CAN BE. SHE RECEIVED A HEART TRANSPLANT AT A DIFFERENT LOCAL HOSPITAL. EVERY OUNCE OF COMMUNICATION, EVERY PERSON IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO A TRANSPLANT. Reporter: HEARING METHODIST HOSPITAL IS ON PROBATION -- IT'S VERY SURPRISING. AT LEAST THEY'RE AWARE. AT LEAST THEY'LL MAKE THE CHANGES AND HOPEFULLY FOR THE NEXT PATIENT THEY'LL HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED SO THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. Reporter: THE TRANSPLANT DIRECTOR HERE SAYS PROBATIONARY PERIOD COULD LAST AS LONG AS A YEAR, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE BARRED FROM TREATING PATIENTS. THEY SAY THEY CAN STILL DO THAT AND ALSO PERFORM THOSE TRANSPLANT SURGERIES. THEY DO HAVE TO CONTINUE MAKING TRAINING AND POLICY IMPROVEMENTS. REPORTING IN THE MEDICAL CENTER, IRIKA SARGENT, KPRC "LOCAL 2". THANK YOU. AND WHILE THAT FIRST DONOR HEART DIDN'T GET USED, METHODIST SAYS THEIR PATIENT WHO WAS SUPPOSED

Houston Methodist Hospital has been placed on probation because of the way it handled a recent heart transplant case.

In a report, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) board of directors said Methodist "recovered a donor heart knowing its use was unlikely for the intended candidate. The heart was eventually discarded without an opportunity to be used for a different candidate."

Dr. Osama Gabre, director of Methodist's Transplant Center, said time delays and communication issues with their teams and other hospitals caused problems.

"The communication issue that caused the problem really focused on the multiple delays that happened in the operating room time," said Gabre.

OPTN told Methodist to make improvements in order to get off the probation list. Gabre said they are now putting improvements in place.

"We trained personnel. We changed process. We figured out different ways of communication. We aligned organs and transplants and teams separately. We decided that losing an organ is unacceptable. We are going to fix it," said Dr. Gabre.

Amanda De Jesus knows how life-saving organ donations can be. She received a heart transplant at a different local hospital.

"Every ounce of communication, every person is so important when it comes to a transplant," said De Jesus.

She was surprised to hear about the issues at Methodist.

"At least they will make the changes and hopefully for the next patient they will have everything that they need in line so this will never happen again," said De Jesus.

Gabre said Methodist's probationary period could last as long as a year. He said probation does not bar the hospital from treating patients or performing transplant procedures. He said the probation focuses on getting the hospital to improve policies, procedures and training.

Gabre said the Methodist patient who was supposed to receive the heart but didn't end up getting it was later able to receive a different donor heart.

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